“Steadfast Duel 2024 provides an excellent opportunity for us to showcase our strategic and operational capabilities, and demonstrate our commitment to NATO’s collective defence,” said Major General Ruprecht von Butler, the Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) Commander and Exercise Director.
The exercise tests the integration of secure communication networks and data-sharing capabilities between NATO Command and Force Structures, ensuring seamless interoperability across all domains, including cyberspace, and enhancing NATO's communications and information systems (CIS) readiness across the Euro-Atlantic region.
The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) supported the exercise preparation and execution by delivering CIS architecture to enable command and control services integration and interoperability. "The efforts of NCIA experts ensure that our communications and information systems are resilient and fully integrated across all domains, allowing for seamless coordination and response readiness,” said Marcin Kutynia, Principal Exercise Planner. “The collaborative approach we take underscores NATO’s commitment to maintaining secure communications networks, essential for the success of our collective defence strategy."
NCIA space subject matter experts were deployed in Stavanger and at the Combined Forces Space Component Command to provide technical expertise, including support through Orion, an NCIA-customized space-related information management system, used to request and exchange space-related data and information. Being present during the exercise facilitated addressing rapid on-demand changes to the system and process improvements, in order to match the evolving requirements of the Space domain and develop the dynamic, flexible and productive tool.
NCIA’s CIS support unit (CSU) Stavanger, as JWC’s sole CIS provider, further facilitated and supported prior to and during the exercise. During the preparation phase, over 900 user accounts were created, more than 1000 devices were provided and nearly 1100 machines were patched to the relevant servers ensuring that all participants had seamless network connection throughout the exercise. Local CSU Stavanger specialists resolved 98% of all incidents during the exercise. Overall, CSU Stavanger supported over 800 users locally for exercise participation as well as many other exercise participants who connected from 11 wider locations.
As NATO’s technology and cyber hub, a key pillar of NCIA’s mission is connecting forces. By providing secure static and deployable communications infrastructure, NCIA strengthens NATO’s overall defence and deterrence posture. Steadfast Duel 24 is a crucial exercise testing the Alliance’s resilience and a crucial part of NCIA’s continuous support to NATO.
Photos sourced from the NATO Joint Warfare Centre